


Forever

by lifeinabeautifullight



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: 3x11, Angst, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-08 17:40:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13463256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeinabeautifullight/pseuds/lifeinabeautifullight
Summary: Alex decides to hand deliver Maggie's passport.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't help but write this one-shot after that text message. And I opted for the Flower Street address as I love how it might've been a reference to Flo. Hope you enjoy!

She'd been prescribed painkillers to ease the pain as her leg healed post-surgery. Two in the morning and two at night. Her lack of mobility wasn't the reason she had been sidelined by J'onn; rather, it was the fact that the drugs made her drowsy beyond belief. Yet as sleepy as they usually made her, especially at the end of the day, last night she had struggled to sleep. Her thoughts had been too strong and too rampant to shut out. 

That text.

Maggie.

Maggie Sawyer being the last thing on her mind was nothing new. Despite their parting three months ago, it was still very much an everyday occurrence. It was hard for it not to be, for Maggie's presence beside her was missed greatly. Maggie was cuddly, Maggie was warm and Maggie had made her feel so loved and so safe each and every night. Sleeping without her was the worst feeling in the world, and time had done nothing to ease that sense of loss. The only thing time had done was slowly erase the smell of Maggie's perfume on the pillow that used to be hers, the pillow that she used to snore into every night - though she would ardently deny such accusations - and the pillow that she'd carry over to the couch some evenings when she wanted to watch a movie in maximum comfort.

On their first night apart, Alex had taken that pillow and held onto it for dear life. Sometimes she still did and last night had been one of those nights.

_I’m sorry to bother you_

Those five words haunted Alex. Maggie would never be a bother to her, never. Except,of course, on those nights when she’d be bored whilst Alex was sat reading in bed, and she would proceed to playfully jab Alex in the ribs and, adorably, plead for her to finish whatever she was bit she was on, so Alex would pay attention to her.

_I know it’s been a while now._

Ten weeks, but who was counting?

_I hope your doing well._

The grammatical error did not go unnoticed. Maggie _never_ made such mistakes, and she was always the first to nitpick. The only reason Alex could fathom such an error being possible was that Maggie had typed the text so quickly, to get it sent and done with, that she hadn’t wished to spend just a second longer to dwell on and proofread it.

_I have a favour to ask. I’m going out of the country and I’m going to need my passport._

They should’ve _both_ been headed out of the country in just a couple months’ time for their honeymoon.

 _I think I left it at your place_.

 _Your place_ …it was once _their place_.

_Can you look around and possibly mail it to me?_

_Possibly_ …there was a part of Maggie that thought that Alex wouldn’t do so, even though Alex would still very much move heaven and earth for Maggie Sawyer.

_My new address is 13 Flower St. Apt #6. National City. 44333._

A quick Google search had dug up an old listing for the place. It was small one-bedroom, furnished apartment that was only a mile or so away. Rent was extortionate, as was the norm for the city, but it was still good value and boasted beautiful views, overlooking the waterfront.

 _Xo Maggie_.

That part hurt the hardest. Not the kiss or the hug but her name, included no doubt because Maggie had assumed that Alex had deleted her number. She hadn’t – it had taken her long enough to change it to just _Maggie_ , after months of it being _Fiancee <3_.

Alex hadn’t replied to the message. She had a reputation for being an embarrassingly fast replier and the longer she stared at it, unsure of what to say, the worse the delayed response would seem. It didn’t really need replying to either. All she had to do was pop the passport in an envelope and mail it. And she had intended to.

Until that restless night gave her other ideas, such as trekking the mile or so to her ex-fiancee’s apartment, whilst on crutches. Screw jumping off buildings, or travelling to hostile planets, this was the craziest thing she’d ever done.

 _Too crazy_.

Immediately after knocking on the door, she decided it was a bad idea but her mind moved too quickly for her body to keep up with it. One of her crutches fell and she stumbled into the brick wall, cursing.

Then the door opened, and then came Maggie’s voice. ‘Hey--.’ And then her surprise and then, what cops did best, a dumb joke to make the best out of a shitty situation. ‘Well, you’re not my _Domino's_ guy.’

Alex hopped on her good leg as she leaned against the wall for support, her eyes meeting Maggie’s for the first time in months. _God those eyes…so gorgeous_. ‘I’m not.’

‘I, uh…’ Maggie swallowed hard, then looked at the fallen crutch. ‘I’ll get that for you.’

‘Thank you,’ Alex said, forcing a smile as Maggie ducked under her arm. She was so close Alex could smell that perfume again, feel the natural warmth that radiated from Maggie. ‘I-I brought your passport.’

‘Screw the passport,’ Maggie handed the crutch back. ‘What happened to your leg?’

‘Broken tibia.’

Maggie nodded. ‘Let me guess...Reign?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Figured. She’s put some of our men out of action too.’ Maggie’s eyes narrowed as it dawned on her. ‘Did you walk here?’

‘I’ve been stuck in my apartment since I had surgery, and it’s been slowly driving me crazy.’ That was a lie – it had driven her _completely_ crazy and _quickly_ too. ‘Admittedly, this place was slightly further away than I first thought.’ Her arms ached from the workout.

Maggie took a step back. ‘Come in.’

That didn’t seem like a good idea, nor one that Alex had anticipated coming over here. Truth be told, she hadn’t even known what she’d been expecting from coming here, but being invited into her ex’s new apartment certainly wasn’t something she would have envisaged. ‘No I--.’

‘It wasn’t a suggestion, Alex,’ Maggie’s tone was firm. ‘You literally have a broken leg. Go and sit on that couch now.’

Alex wasn’t going to try and argue. She forced a smile and hobbled her way in. Her heart skipped a beat as Maggie helped her down onto the couch, before she then gently lifted her leg onto a cushion on the coffee table. ‘Thank you.’

Maggie tapped the side of the cast. ‘What weirdo wrote a smiley face in binary?’

‘You can read binary?’ Almost two years together and that was something Alex did not know.

‘No, it was just a hunch,’ Maggie deadpanned. ‘I’d guess Winn, but I see he scrawled his name there…well someone called _Wine_ did.’

Alex let out a little laugh. ‘The smiley is from one of Mon-El’s new friends.’

‘He’s back?’ Maggie asked, disdain in her voice as she sat on the couch, leaving a cushion’s space between them.

‘Yes. And married.’ Alex immediately hated herself for saying that word… _married_. Like they had been months away from being. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._

Maggie’s features remained impassive. ‘The fun never stops with him, does it? What about Kara, is she okay?’

‘As well as expected.’ That was to say _heartbroken_ , much like the two of them were. ‘She’s also had to deal with the whole Reign situation which has definitely been a challenge. We, uh…we nearly lost Kara actually. Reign’s stronger than her. It’s been hard.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that. I hope she’s okay now,’ Maggie said before pointing at the cast. ‘So when did that happen?’

‘A few weeks ago. It was a pretty bad break and with the amount of metal that’s now in my leg, going through airport security is not going to be a fun experience.’ _That offered a nice segue._ ‘Speaking of airports--.’

‘London,’ Maggie answered. ‘The NCPD are coordinating with the Metropolitan Police to help establish a science division over there. I’m being sent over there to liaise which, what with Reign currently terrorizing the city, seems like an incredibly stupid time to do so. But hey, I get a free holiday with business class flights out of it, so I can’t complain.’

 _Work_. Not to get away from it all like Alex had first thought.

There was a knock at the door and Maggie jumped to her feet. ‘Now that should be my pizza. You hungry?’

‘Oh I can’t--.’

‘Yes you _can_ and yes, you _will_. No arguments.’

///

The following hour or so was a little awkward but it wasn’t overly uncomfortable. Why should it had been? They’d been friends before dating and things had ended as amicably as they had heartbreakingly. Friendship was certainly possible but given everything and how much _everything_ hurt, it didn’t seem like it would happen. Still, they had a pleasant time together.

They talked about work, with a huge focus on Reign’s path of destruction.

Alex talked about the funny stories that had come from her post-surgery drug-induced loopiness.

Alex had talked more about Kara and how she’d been recovering.

Maggie didn’t talk all that much about herself, and Alex respected that and didn’t push or ask any questions that she no longer had the right to ask.

Once they were finished eating, Maggie grabbed her car keys. ‘I’m driving you home. There’s no way I’m letting you walk back.’

The drive home was a much quieter affair and even in the relative darkness, Alex could see the solemnness grow on Maggie’s face as she drove through the neighborhood she used to call home. She parked outside the apartment complex and hurried out to get Alex’s door.

‘Easy, easy,’ she said softly as she helped Alex onto the sidewalk.

‘I hate crutches,’ Alex sighed.

‘I can tell. You’re clumsy at the best of times,’ Maggie remarked and, for the first time that evening, the smile on her face seemed real. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. ‘Before I go, can I sign your cast?’

Alex nodded. ‘Sure.’

Maggie removed a sharpie from the pocket of her jeans. ‘I brought this just in case.’ She knelt down and scribbled on the side, the angle too awkward for Alex to see. ‘There,’ Maggie said, capping the pen. 'You need help getting up to your place?'

Again... _your place_ not  _our place_. When would that stop hurting? 'I'm good...luckily the elevator's working.'

'Okay,' Maggie nodded. 'I guess I'll be going now. Thanks for giving me my passport back. It's appreciated.'

'No problem,' Alex smiled. Now _this_ felt uncomfortable, as all she could do was watch as Maggie headed round to her side of the car. 'Thanks for the pizza.'

'You're welcome...have a nice night.'

 _So uncomfortable_.  'Yeah. You too.' She gave a small wave as Maggie pulled away, her heart sinking as she drove right back out of her life again, maybe this time for good as she might never have an excuse to see her again. That really hurt, but there was nothing she could do about it, except live her life and hope that maybe fate would make their paths cross again.

Back in the apartment, she finally had the chance to see what Maggie had wrote on the cast, what her parting words would be.

Alex's eyes stung when she saw it.

A heart with one word beside it -  _forever_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on writing another chapter but you guys left such lovely feedback that I couldn't help but write one more chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

After twelve long hours, her feet were finally back on home soil.

Business class had been nice – and not to mention a giant waste of NCPD funds – but the comfier seats and additional leg room hadn’t made the overall experience of flying any more tolerable. Flying was flying, and spending half a day in a glorified tin can in the sky was still absolute hell, just like the headache that she’d stepped off the plane with.

After grabbing her luggage, she went in search of the driver that had been sent to pick her up.

And that was when she saw her, holding a placard with _SAWYER_ written in big black letters. Not the driver…but her ex-fiancee and the woman that still very much had her heart.

 _Alex_.

It’d been a couple of months since they’d last seen each other, on that evening when Alex had decided to hobble over on crutches to drop off her passport. She was now sans cast and crutches and, as always, looked effortlessly beautiful. Skinny jeans accented her long legs, and her black leather jacket served to remind people of how badass she really was, even when the smile on her face was so warm and so soft. ‘Hey, hey,’ she called out, with a wave.

As much as she knew that this was a fundamentally bad idea, that it would only make her heart continue to ache, Maggie couldn’t help herself. It was magnetism. She couldn’t stop herself from walking over to her ex, just like her heart couldn’t _not_ flutter at the sight of the gorgeous woman she had been months away from marrying. ‘Hey.’

Alex beamed as if this was the old times, as if nothing had ever happened between them, especially not a crushing break-up that, nearly five months on, Maggie was still piecing herself back together from. ‘How was London?’

‘London was good. The weather not so much.’

‘Yeah, that’s the UK for you,’ Alex laughed. ‘I went there with Kara once and it rained--.’

‘What are you doing here, Alex?’ They weren’t engaged and they could barely call themselves _friends_ at this point, not when they never spoke.

Alex took a deep breath, then went for it. ‘You know how in the movies, the guy – because most movies are, as you would say, _heteronormative nonsense_ – shows up at the airport and wins the girl back?’

Maggie’s heart hammered in her chest.

‘I thought I’d give it a shot.’

Maggie was sure her heart just goddamn stopped. This…this couldn’t be happening. This shouldn’t be happening; it wouldn’t be right, they’d broken up for a reason, a very real and valid reason. ‘No, Alex--.’

‘No, no, no,’ Alex pleaded. ‘Hear me out? Please?’

Communication was the reason that their relationship had broken down so for any future between them, romantic or otherwise, to be possible then they had to listen to each other. So, Maggie nodded. ‘Okay.’

Alex let the placard fall to the ground as she reached for Maggie’s hands. ‘I made a mistake and I know, _know_ you’re not going to believe me, because you’re going to think that I’m just saying that to win you back but Maggie…it’s the truth, alright? I made a mistake.’ Tears glistened in Alex’s eyes and she swallowed hard before continuing. ‘I’ve not been happy since we broke up. I thought it was kids that I needed to be happy but it’s not. It’s you, Maggie. It’s _you_ that I _need_.’

Maggie’s eyes began to sting because she knew Alex well enough to know that her words were genuine, that she was completely serious, that they suddenly had the chance of a future together, again. Still…she had to ask, had to make sure that she wasn’t hearing what she wanted to hear. ‘Really?’

‘Really, Maggie,’ Alex smiled. ‘I love you so much and I want, more than anything in the world, to be your wife. I’m all yours. That is…if you’ll have me?’

As if Alex even needed to ask. ‘Of course I will.’

And they kissed and, screw the five thousand miles she’d just travelled, _that_ – Alex’s lips – felt like coming home.

They parted only to breathe and to look into each other’s eyes. Maggie saw her future in Alex’s hazel pools and it was a wonderful future, the one that they’d planned before they’d split – a nice little house with a decent sized yard for the first pup that’d steal their heart at their local shelter.

‘Maggie,’ Alex said breathlessly.

‘Yeah?’

‘You know this isn’t real, right?’

‘I…excuse me?’

The smile didn’t shift from Alex’s face. ‘You know this is a dream, don’t you?’

It felt like a dream, sure enough but, but…it couldn’t be. The universe couldn’t be that cruel, could it? ‘No. No, it’s not,’ Maggie said, though she knew now that it was, because her life couldn’t ever be that perfect. Still, she tried to shrug it off, hoping that pretending would make it real. ‘You’re here and I just got off the plane--.’

‘Baby,’ Alex hushed her. ‘It’s not real. You haven’t even left for London yet – you just got your passport back a few hours ago. This is a dream and you need to wake up.’

Waking up meant losing Alex and, even if it wasn’t real, Maggie didn’t want to go through that pain again. ‘Don’t leave me,’ she pleaded as Alex started to walk away. ‘Please, please don’t leave me again. Please, I can’t do this without you, I--.’

/ / /

Maggie jerked awake, her shirt soaked with sweat and her cheeks wet with tears.

It had been a dream, and the only thing that she could do was lash out at the empty pillow beside her, as if it was the inanimate object’s fault for her broken, aching heart. It wasn’t.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault.

And that was what hurt the most.

If it had been her fault, then Maggie could blame herself accordingly and vow to never make the same mistakes again. Likewise, if it had been Alex’s fault then Maggie could forever hate her and it’d be easier to move on, because she wouldn’t want to be with someone who had hurt her. But it was neither, and Maggie still loved Alex more than anything in the world, and had a lot of anger that she had to simply keep inside because there was nowhere to direct it.

Alcohol helped, but it wasn’t a healthy coping mechanism and, at three o’clock in the morning, wasn’t an option either. So Maggie did what she always did these days when she found herself up in the small hours, which had become a common occurrence – padded over to the couch, turned the TV on for company, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and proceeded to scroll through the photos on her phone, as she waited for sleep to pull her back under.

Their last photo together was taken during their last _girls night_ , a candid snapped by Kara and then shared in the groupchat. Alex had her head rested on Maggie’s shoulder, sleepy from the combination of a long day and a few glasses of rose. She looked content, Maggie did too as they were both blissfully unaware of the storm that was about to hit them, the sad discussions that they would have as they made their way to their eventual impasse.

Further down the roll came the picture she’d excitedly sent to her aunt all those months back, to break the happy news. _‘Sooooooo Alex asked….and I might have said YES!’_ she had texted along with the picture of the giant rock on her hand, just mere moments after she and her then new-fiancée had spent the afternoon in numerous jewellers around the city, trying to find the perfect matching rings. The text Maggie had sent to share the unhappy news was blunter – _‘Call me when you can. Please.’_

Her favorite picture though, was one that was nearly a year old, taken in a cute little coffee shop around the corner from CatCo. The subject of the picture was even cuter, of a bashful Alex trying her best to hide from the camera whilst having a big smile on her face. Maggie remembered that day well.

_‘Why are you taking pictures of me?’_

_‘‘Cause you’re gorgeous,’ Maggie explained._

_Alex blushed. ‘Well…it’s not like I’m going anywhere.’_

_‘I don’t get to see you all the time when I’m at work. And I need a new wallpaper for my phone.’_

_‘Weirdo.’_

_‘And say, what’s_ your _wallpaper, Miss Danvers?’_

_‘You,’ Alex said shyly._

_‘I rest my case.’_

Those were the days, when being apart because of their crazy work schedules was the biggest challenge. If only Maggie knew how, not even a year after that coffee date, their fairytale romance would ultimately fizzle out.

Over kids.

That was at whom Maggie should’ve been angry at, but she couldn’t. Ironically, she loved kids, had babysat her way through college and would have loved nothing more than to see her beautiful Alex cradling a newborn that had her eyes, her freckles and her even more beautiful mind. But that? That was a big responsibility and a huge commitment and Maggie wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to be a mom. Saying she didn’t want kids so as not to lead Alex on with a faint possibly of parenthood was the kindest option, and an option that she didn’t regret deciding upon as it at least gave Alex the chance of having that.

Maggie would always find comfort in that, especially as it meant that Alex didn’t hate her. If Alex hated her, then she wouldn’t have come over with the passport. Things were awkward, sure, but that was expected. Maybe in time they could get over that awkwardness, the pain they felt would ease and they could maybe, just maybe, be friends.

And that was why she reached for her phone and found herself typing up a message.

_Hey. If you ever want to come round for pizza again, I’d like that. I appreciate how it might be weird though._

Her finger hovered over send for a few seconds before she shook her head and deleted it. She started over.

_It really was nice seeing you again. I miss you so much._

Again, she deleted instead of sending. And then, much to her shock as she pondered over what to say, she saw three dots dancing on the screen. Then came the message.

**Alex: <3**

Her heart skipped a beat and a tear slid down her cheek. She sent an identical message back. Then,

**Alex: Forever.**

_Maggie: Forever._

A few moments passed and no further reply came. Maggie decided to be brave because, she realized, she didn’t have anything to lose.

_Maggie: I miss our pool nights._

**_Alex: You miss getting your ass kicked?_ **

_Maggie: Hey…I had my nights._

**_Alex: Yeah, and so do blue moons._ **

Maggie laughed at that.

_Maggie: Maybe I’ve improved…_

**_Alex: Well, that wouldn’t be difficult._ **

_Maggie: Rude._

**_Alex: True though…I do miss pool too._ **

_Maggie: I’m down for a game anytime you are._

**_Alex: I’ll take you up on that when I’m back on my feet again. Maybe when you get back from London?_ **

Maggie’s heart skipped a beat because this wasn’t a dream, this _was_ real. It would be friendship, yes, but that was more than enough. Alex might have been her lover but she had also been her best friend, and Maggie would give anything to have that sort of friendship in her life.

_Maggie: I look forward to it._

And maybe, just maybe, she would be able to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? x


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was only planned to be a one-shot but here's the third and final chapter...i really appreciate all the love you've shown this one (it was because of you guys' lovely words that this became as long as it did) so I hope you enjoy this final part! x

They kept in touch in the weeks that followed. Nothing major, just casual and infrequent texts, mainly about work, rather than long and deep conversations but it was still something – _something_ that was inching them closer towards friendship, instead of becoming strangers.

The timing of Maggie’s month-long trip to London worked out perfectly. By the time that she was back on home soil, Alex was back on two feet and they arranged that game of pool for the Friday, which gave Maggie ample time to adjust back to her usual time-zone.

It wasn’t nearly enough time, however, for her nerves about the evening to ease though.

 _They could be friends, right?_ Maggie wanted to be friends, wanted Alex to remain a part of her life and this, sadly, was the only real option. And on paper, it was totally viable – they had a lot in common and it was their similar jobs, similar taste in music and movies and, hell, similar taste in everything – barring ice-cream – that had made them firm friends in the first place.

Those reasons had also been why their romance had flourished.

 _Fuck_.

This was going to be hard. Scratch that, this was probably going to be a _mistake_. Alex was her soulmate and she loved her too much to settle for mere friendship. Spending time together platonically would never be enough, not when they’d been _that_ close to marrying, to buying a house, to adopting a puppy. She’d always crave the intimacy that they once shared – holding hands as they went for walks, falling asleep in each others’ arms and, of course, the sex.

Alex had been her most inexperienced lover (well, most inexperienced with women) but she had also been her best. An excellent student, she had not only learned Maggie’s body quickly but had mastered it, even teaching Maggie a thing or two about it in the process. Her hands were as magic as they were skilled, as gentle as they were powerful and Maggie had never felt as loved than she did when she was at the mercy of them, or felt as safe when they held her. Alex made her feel so special.

In short: Alex Danvers was an amazing woman and Maggie was already regretting this evening, and she was yet to even see Alex who was running late.

_**Alex: So sorry! Slightly delayed because of work. I’m still coming.** _

_Maggie: I understand._

Then, fifteen minutes later:

_**Alex: Will be there in fifteen minutes max. Again I’m sorry.** _

_Maggie: No worries._

In the meantime, Maggie ordered another beer and sipped on it as fifteen turned into thirty, and an apologetic Alex finally arrived to the dive bar that held so many memories for them.

‘I’m so, so sorry.’ She was a little out of breath and a lot windswept. She also looked as beautiful as always though. ‘Work emergency. Even when you’re stuck on desk duty, it’s still a giant pain in the ass.’

‘Did you fly here?’ Maggie asked.

‘Yes…is it obvious?’

‘Yeah, your hair is--.’ Instinctively Maggie had went to tuck those rogue strands of Alex’s hair behind an ear but stopped herself as she remembered, her hand hovering awkwardly in front of Alex’s face. A second passed, then she attempted to play it off with a laugh and a vague waving gesture. ‘All over the place.’

Alex tidied herself up. ‘I figured. The roads were hell so it had to be the Supergirl Express since my leg still isn’t a hundred percent.’

Again, Maggie’s brain failed to engage first. ‘Well you look good,’ she said before she internally grimaced. ‘Your leg I mean, there’s no cast or crutches.’

If Alex was feeling even a fraction as awkward as Maggie was, then she had one hell of a poker face. ‘I was _so_ glad to see the back of those damn crutches. They were driving me crazy.’

‘Your leg’s healing okay though, right?’

Alex nodded. ‘As good as it can be. They had to leave the metal in, so I’m kinda like Robocop now.’

‘Except you’re not a cop.’

‘I could steal your badge.’

‘And I would arrest you,’ Maggie grinned, overjoyed that she’d finally managed an exchange where she didn’t embarrass herself. ‘So, if it’s healed okay then I expect no excuses when you get beat.’

Alex laughed. ‘One: I don’t need _excuses_ ; and two: I’m still not one hundred percent – stuck on desk duty, remember?’

‘Right,’ Maggie said. ‘That still sounds like an excuse to me.’

‘Sure, sure,’ Alex smiled. ‘What we playing for? Loser buys the next round?’

‘It’s been a while,’ Maggie slid off the bar stool and followed Alex over to the pool table, to the spot where they’d shared their first kiss and many, many kisses after that. ‘Let’s up those stakes – loser pays the tab.’ _Drinks_ …they were playing for drinks when they used to play for so much more.

_Winner picks the next date night activity._

_Winner gets a lapdance._

_Winner chooses to get however inventive they pleased that night in bed_ – as cliched as it was, Alex always had a thing for her cop girlfriend’s handcuffs, and Maggie was always more than happy to satisfy that certain kink. Other than that, they were relatively vanilla, and never needed anything except themselves to have an amazing time.

‘I look forward to a night of free drinks then,’ Alex grinned. ‘Who’s gonna rack?’

/ / /

Maggie racked.

Alex fetched the cues.

They both went to grab the cue chalk at the same time. Their hands touched, Alex’s on top of Maggie’s, and Maggie felt like she’d been hit by lightning as all those feelings that she’d been trying to shove down, resurfaced and all at once. ‘I--,’ she stammered as Alex’s hand lingered. Their eyes met and in those hazel pools that Maggie had once saw everything, she now saw nothing, just shadows of what could’ve been. ‘I can’t do this.’ She pulled away and headed for the door.

Alex called after her. ‘Maggie.’

Maggie’s dams crumbled as she walked out into the alleyway. _She could’ve had it all._

‘Maggie, please.’

_She’d been so close to having it all, and being so damn happy._

‘Can we please talk?’

Maggie finally turned. ‘About what? We’ve already talked about this, and this is where we stand. This is us now. This is all we’ll ever be. Strangers, because I _can’t_ be friends with you. I love you too much, it hurts.’

Alex looked sadly at the ground. ‘You think you’re the only one?’

‘No, I don’t…I know how much you love me, you showed me that every second of every day that we spent together.’ And every day the depths of Alex’s love only went deeper, as she found new ways to show it. ‘I love you, Alex. But nothing’s changed on my side, I still don’t see myself becoming a mom and I refuse to be the person who stops you from having kids.’ As much as she wanted Alex, she knew that simply was not fair. ‘I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy.’

‘But I’m not,’ Alex said, voice course with emotion. ‘I’m not happy, Maggie. I haven’t been since I destroyed the greatest thing that has _ever_ happened to me.’

‘Alex--.’

‘No,’ Alex said firmly. ‘No, let me say this. I _need_ to say this.’

Maggie nodded. ‘Okay.’

‘I chose the idea of kids over you and that? That was a mistake.’

 _A mistake_ …it was like all those dreams that Maggie had had in recent months, the dreams that ultimately spiralled into nightmares. As she had in those dreams, she indulged Alex’s words as her heart hammered in her chest at the possibility of getting back the only thing she wanted.

‘If I want to have children then I can’t have you. You know what else I can’t have? My job,’ Alex said, glancing down at her leg. ‘I didn’t just get four pieces of metal in my leg, I also got lucky…When I thought my father had…died it, it crushed me. I don’t want a kid to have to potentially go through that. Losing someone you care about is the worst feeling in the world…and that’s why my life has sucked these past few months.’

There they were. The words that Maggie had been longing to hear and the best part about them wasn’t that they were just said. It was that they were _real_ and they were the _truth_ – Alex would never bring up her heartache about her father just to manipulate. Alex was being honest. This was really happening. ‘Mine hasn’t been much better.’

Alex took a step closer. ‘I miss you. And I’d give anything to have you back which, I know, I don’t deserve. I lied to you; I broke your trust--.’

‘You lied to try and save us…how can I fault that?’ She couldn’t and had never. The fault lay with both of them – they should’ve discussed children at the beginning of their relationship. They hadn’t, too wrapped up with each other, and the conversation came a year and a half too late. But that was then… ‘If you want me back then I’m all yours.’

‘Really?’

The way Alex’s face lit up made Maggie’s heart soar. ‘I think we’re well past the wooing stage, don’t you think?’ She said with a small laugh.

‘I-I guess?’

Maggie couldn’t help herself, couldn’t wait any longer and took Alex’s face with both hands and kissed her, and her whole world felt whole again. ‘I’ve missed you too,’ she whispered as she pulled away, though the statement was surely redundant as she’d put everything she had into that kiss. Still she had to reiterate, just to make sure Alex knew. ‘So much.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Duh,’ Maggie grinned. ‘Can we take things a little slower though? Go back to being girlfriends, rather than planning a wedding.’

‘Deal,’ Alex said without hesitation. ‘Believe me, I’m not in any rush for my Maid of Honour to text me 24/7 about fonts again.’

Maggie laughed as she wrapped her arms around Alex’s waist. ‘Leave the next proposal to me, okay?’

/ / /

Within a month of recommencing things, they started living together again. They chose Maggie’s apartment which, despite being smaller than Alex’s, had one thing allowed in the lease that Alex’s did not – pets.

It was a three-legged pit called Rocco that captured their hearts at the shelter. He was a sweet and gentle boy that quickly grew attached to his new moms. He followed them everywhere, and climbed into their bed each night even though his own one was just a couple of feet away. Alex took him to work and he became the DEO’s mascot – Winn even made him a special collar, which he then later threatened to take back when he learned that the honorary clearance level that Rocco had been granted was higher than his own.

Six months after his adoption, Rocco was given his first assignment.

‘What you got there, buddy?’ Alex asked as Rocco rushed into her office with an envelope affixed to his collar. She crouched to remove it, and gasped as she read the card inside. She turned to her right and saw Maggie in the doorway of the lab, down on one knee.

‘Alex Danvers,’ she beamed as the hand that held the open box shook. ‘Will you marry me?’

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? x


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